


This Hollywood Life

by HannahPelham



Category: Blur (Band), Britpop - Fandom, Suede (Band)
Genre: F/M, a bit fat britpop mess, girl insensitive in some part based on kenickie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:21:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23063908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HannahPelham/pseuds/HannahPelham
Summary: The ongoing misadventures of Suede, Blur, and a band called Girl Insensitive
Relationships: Alex James/Original Female Character(s), Bernard Butler/Original Female Character(s), Brett Anderson (Suede)/Original Female Character(s), Damon Albarn/Original Female Character(s), Mat Osman/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 10





	1. Ally Pally and Master Rock Studios

The first time Girl Insensitive’s Tess Hendricks met Suede’s Brett Anderson, she thought he was a bit of a wanker. To be fair, he thought she was a bit of a tosser too. They only met in passing, but of that they were sure. A pair of absolute arseholes trying to make their way in a cutthroat industry. 

Suede had just performed ‘Animal Nitrate’, sealing themselves firmly within the modern British music scene. Tess leant against a wall outside, cigarette hanging from her lips and a glass of wine in her hand. She pulled a lighter from her bra, lighting her cigarette quickly. 

“Can I borrow your lighter, love?” A voice said from behind her. Tess turned to see Brett Anderson leaning against the doorframe, a packet of fags in his hand. 

“I suppose you can, pet, after that performance” Tess replied, her Sunderland accent making an appearance as she got defensive. A natural reaction, she thought, with the amount of tossers who asked to borrow her lighter. Whenever she felt strong emotions, her accent would slip back through the standard London accent she’d cultivated in recent years. 

“You enjoyed it then?” Brett half-asked, half-stated as he walked over to her, leaning against the wall next to her, staring out into the alley. 

“It wasn’t bad” Tess said, looking over at him briefly. He made eye contact with her and smiled slightly. 

“It’ll be you lot next year, Hendricks” Brett said after a while. Tess raised her eyebrows at him as she smoked the last of her fag. Brett smiled and walked back to the door, stubbing his out. 

“Call me, Anderson” Tess called after him as he disappeared back inside. She let out a deep breath as the door shut, and lit another cigarette. Brett was an intense presence for Tess. She’d heard so much about him, stories of drunken debauchery, apocryphal tales of frequently writing the best song ever written, rumours of girlfriends or boyfriends after Justine dumped him. She’d heard a lot about Brett from Justine, and he had a lot to live up to. Of course, Justine was a little harsh on him, he was her ex-boyfriend after all, but she always spoke fondly of him. In her short time in the world of music, Tess had never heard anybody speak anything except fondly of Brett Anderson and Suede. 

Tess was pulled from her thoughts by the door opening again, but it was one of her bandmates who emerged. 

“I just passed Brett Anderson, he said to tell you that he would. I assume you know what that means”, Rose Cole, Girl Insensitive’s drummer, said. Tess lit another cigarette and passed it to Rose.

“I told him to call me” Tess replied, sounding surprised at her own actions. Rose’s jaw dropped. 

“Did you flirt with Brett Anderson? Are you Tess Hendricks, my mild-mannered lead singer?” Rose practically shouted. 

“It seems that way and yes, I am, thank you very much” Tess replied. Rose’s look of complete shock mirrored how Tess was feeling. 

Tess and Rose went back inside, and took their seats again. The whole time she was inside, Tess could feel Brett’s eyes on her. She couldn’t tell whether he thought she was hot or whether he felt utter contempt for her. 

The next time Tess saw Brett, they were in a trendy London club. Tess was stood at the bar, trying desperately to get served. Brett walked up beside her, in a way only Brett could, and leant against the bar, not looking at her. He stared into the crowd.

“You never called” he said after a minute or two.

“You never gave me your number, pet” Tess replied, downing half her cocktail instantly. Brett smirked at her, taking in her appearance in the dim lighting. Her orange dress glowed slightly, her red lips looked so inviting to Brett but he didn’t want to ruin things. For once in his life he fancied a girl more than sexually and he didn’t quite know how to cope with it. He fancied girls all the time, of course, he was only human, but Tess was something entirely different. She was different to the normal type. After Justine left him, he went for Justine-looking girls, but Tess was the opposite to her. They were just as talented as each other, and just as kind as each other, but in distinctly different ways. Tess had taken over his body, his mind, and his soul. 

Brett had had a similar effect on Tess, but she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, not even herself. She didn’t just fall for somebody like that. She thought she was strong enough to know when she was falling for somebody, so she could act on it, but with Brett she was in the middle before she had begun. It scared her, but also excited her in equal measure. 

Brett stalked off in that way only rockstars could get away with, and it took a few minutes before Tess found the napkin on the bar with Brett’s number and a note:

_ ‘Will you call me now? B x’ _

Tess slipped it into her bra (curse dresses for not having any pockets) and carried on drinking with the girls she was with, but her thoughts were filled with Brett. His phone number seemed to be searing itself from the napkin onto her skin, making her unable to forget him and how they met forever. She was sure Brett was going to be significant in her life from that moment on, but she wasn’t entirely sure how. She was eager to find out. 

The next Tess heard of Brett was him screaming down one of the corridors of Master Rock Studios at his bandmate, Bernard Butler. 

“For fuck’s sake Bernard! Why do you have to be so difficult? This album isn’t just yours, you know, we’re a band! It’s a group fucking effort!” Brett bellowed through the door of the control room as Bernard stormed out, guitar still slung around his neck. Tess had heard Suede had been having some creative differences over their second album. It was a big ask to follow up an amazing debut with something equally fantastic, and it had clearly gotten to Brett and Bernard. She daren’t interfere, she didn’t know them all that well but she certainly knew a thing or two about creative differences. The only time she and the other members of Girl Insensitive fought was over something to do with their music, never personal. Her wish to not interfere was soon shattered when Brett saw Bernard march past her. 

“Tess! Come and listen to this and tell me honestly if it’s complete bollocks” He said quickly, before he ducked back into the control room of the studio Suede were using. She followed him, making her way into Suede’s sacred space. She felt like she shouldn’t be there. Brett gestured vaguely to the sofa where Simon was sat with a fag in his hand. She took a seat and listened intensely as Brett played her the demo of the newest song being considered for the album. Brett stared at her to gauge her reaction. 

“So?” He asked. 

“I think it’s great, Pet. Is this what Bernard was getting into a strop about?” Tess replied, smiling brightly at him. 

“Honestly who knows by this point, Hendricks” Simon said, laughing slightly as he left the control room and made his way back to his drums. Brett smiled weakly at her. 

“Are you guys recording here at the moment?” Brett asked. He’d loved Girl Insensitive’s first album, and wondered if he could get a cheeky listen of the second one in the making. 

“We started last week, we’ve got some exciting things in the pipeline” Tess replied, trying not to give too much away. She smiled at him and stood to leave. 

“We’re in studio 4, Pet, if you fancy a listen” She said as she walked out, swinging her hips from side to side as she did so. Brett didn’t know what to do with himself. They would never finish their new album if he was constantly over in studio 4 with Girl Insensitive, but he almost couldn’t bear the thought of being that close to Tess but not actually being with her. He looked through the glass into the recording space, where Mat and Simon were sat. The mic was on, they’d heard every word. 

“Follow her, you daft twat” Mat said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Brett nodded and practically ran out the door. He found Tess leaning against the wall outside Suede’s studio. 

“Fuckin’ hell it took you a long time to get the hint, dinnit? Haway, Pet, I have actually got shit to do with my day” She said as she walked confidently through the corridors. Brett only got half of what she said, her Sunderland accent and slang coming at him thick and fast, but he followed her anyway, too excited for what was to happen to care about not understanding her. 

When they walked into studio 4, they found Rose bashing away at her drum kit, working on one of the songs for the new album. They had managed to narrow it down to the 10 tracks from demos alone, so now all the had to do was make the blasted thing. Brett sat down on the sofa, identical to the one in Suede’s studio, as Tess fiddled with the mixing desk. 

“This is the lead single, we think” Tess said as she started playing a track,  _ Punka.  _

Brett nodded along and smiled as Tess sang along quietly. He watched her as she lost herself in her newest composition. There was a lot of pressure on Girl Insensitive, to provide an astonishing second album after such a strong debut, much like Suede. Brett certainly knew Suede were feeling the pressure (well, he and Bernard were), and he didn’t want Girl Insensitive the same way. He didn’t want Tess to have to go through the problems he was going through. They both knew how fun recording an album could be, and he wanted that for Tess this time around. He’d given up the delusions of the rift between him and Bernard ever disappearing, and was sure it would end in spectacular fireworks between them. He wanted to spare Tess the dramatics. He wanted to spare her the stress. 

The song ended, and Tess looked over at Brett. He smiled widely at her, and she quickly reciprocated. 

“It’s brilliant, Tess. Really.” He said. 

“You think so?” Tess replied quietly. She didn’t really believe that somebody like Brett, who she admired professionally, and perhaps personally, more than she could but into words. 

“I do, you’re very talented you know” Brett said, like it was obvious. 

“Nothing like you, but thanks Brett”

“No, seriously, you’re incredibly talented” He said, gesturing for Tess to join him on the sofa, “and you’re better than me generally”

“In what way?” Tess asked, settling down into her seat. 

“You’re much more of a people person than me, I just seem to piss people off these days” Brett mused quietly. 

“Just because you piss Bernard off doesn’t mean you piss everyone off, Pet” 

“Yeah, but-” Brett started

“Bernard’s an irritable bugger at the best of times, Brett, shit happens” Tess advised, wondering if Brett was really ok. If the recording of Suede’s next album was as tense as it seemed to be, she wondered just how that was affecting the band mentally, and especially Brett. He seemed a sensitive soul to her, and she didn’t want him spiralling into the typical tortured artist state, because god knows what he’d do. She worried about the easy access to drugs the music scene had. She’d seen and heard of so many musicians falling to the wayside after getting addicted, and the last thing she wanted was to see her friends go the same way. She certainly wasn’t going to start meddling in substances, but she wasn’t so sure about Brett. He’d been in London a lot longer than her, she’d only been down from the North East for 18 months. Brett had been in London since the end of the last decade. She couldn’t be sure just how jaded he’d become in that short space of time, and she worried about him. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was so worried about Brett in particular, but she was. 

The next few months were spent in a whirlwind of recording. Tess hardly knew if she was coming or going half the time. As time went on, it became more and more frequent for a member of Suede or their crew to come running into Studio 4 for Tess, so she could mediate a Brett and Bernard row. 

It all came to a head when Suede had about 3 weeks to go on the album. 

Nobody needed to come running for Tess. They could hear it from the other end of the corridor. Brett screaming, Bernard bellowing, Mat and Simon trying to mediate. Tess quickly excused herself from what she was doing and ran down the corridor just in time to see Bernard slap Brett, nearly knocking him off his feet. Tess quickly ran to his side and tried to drag him away, doing everything she could to stop Brett reciprocating. The war of words, she could take. The throwing of hands was a step too far in her books. She dragged Brett one way as Suede’s producer Ed dragged Bernard the other. 

Tess sat Brett in the corner of their studio and gave him a cup of tea to calm him down. She sent an assistant out to buy a bag of frozen peas, and soon it was wrapped in a tea-towel and applied to Brett’s face to soothe the redness from Bernard’s stinging blow. He sat there for a while in silence, taking in what had just happened. He was fairly sure Bernard had just left the band, but he wasn’t sure. 

Nothing was said about the incident until Mat walked in. The studio fell silent. Mat waved meekly through the glass to Vicki, who was recording her part for one of the last songs on the album, before he sat down next to Brett. 

“Bernard’s left the band.” He said, matter-of-factly. Brett nodded. Mat stood up, and left. That’s all it was. One simple sentence, and suddenly the whole future of Suede was in doubt. Brett soon followed after Mat, realising just how much work there was to do, legally and otherwise, regarding Bernard’s departure. They’d always joked that there would be a fuckton of paperwork if anybody left the band, but now the joke was a reality Brett didn’t want to be living. 


	2. Alex and Jodi: Side One, Track One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex James and Jodi Fletcher.

The Groucho Club. It was always going to be The Groucho Club. Everything that happened during the 90s happened because of something that happened in the Groucho Club.

Jodi was leaning against the bar, ordering her fourth or fifth gin and lemonade (she couldn’t remember). She’d heard faint murmurings behind her, and she assumed somebody famous had walked in. She didn’t know who, until a lanky man with floppy hair appeared next to her. 

“Miss Fletcher” he said, as he got the barman’s attention. 

“Steven” she replied, as said barman handed her her drink. 

Alex James of Blur smirked at the teeny tiny bassist of Girl Insensitive. He’d always liked Girl Insensitive’s stuff, he’d always thought they were ballsy lasses who knew what they were doing. They certainly seemed to know what they were doing much more of the time than he or any of Blur did. They seemed composed but rowdy, sweet but scary, Jodi most of all. The music press tried to compare them, both being bassists, but they both knew they each had their own talents. There was a mutual respect between the pair that can only form between two people who, though they ignore the fact, are technically in competition. 

The barman handed Alex his pint, and Alex quickly found a sofa to collapse on. As he walked over to it, he gestured for Jodi to follow. She did, much to her surprise, and soon found herself laughing and joking with Blur. She was sure the papers would pick up on this - there’d be a romance rumour involving her and a member of Blur, which one was immaterial (even though, of course, Damon had Justine). 

A few more drinks, and Jodi found herself leaning on Alex. 

A couple more, and she was pretty much sat on his lap. 

A final drink, and Alex was asking the barman to call them a cab. 

Upon returning to his flat, Alex slammed the front door shut as Jodi pulled his t-shirt over his head, discarding it somewhere in the tiny hallway. If he’d known Jodi was coming over, Alex might have tidied up a little bit. They stumbled back into the main part of the flat, Jodi soon coming to perch on the edge of the messy kitchen table. Alex swiped whatever crap was on the table onto the floor, and pushed Jodi backwards, so she was lying on the table, dress bunched up at her hips. Alex’s hands fumbled with her stocking clips for a few seconds, his judgement clouded by the alcohol and cocaine in his system, as well as Jodi’s lips, which were rapidly sucking a big bruise on his pale neck. He gave up quickly, simply ripping the lacy knickers from her body, tossing them over one shoulder. Jodi didn’t protest (she may have even loosened the seams just in case). Alex nipped at Jodi’s ear, pressing wet kisses to her neck as she undid his belt, removing it with ease. She held it up into his eyeline, raising an eyebrow. 

“Maybe later” Alex whispered in her ear as Jodi cast the offending object aside. Jodi’s slim hands began to fiddle with the button on his jeans, but she soon faltered as Alex’s calloused fingers made their way to her clit. Alex smirked as a moan tumbled from Jodi’s mouth. Alex continued his ministrations as Jodi quickly lit two cigarettes, leaving one hanging from her lips as she slipped Alex the second one. The smoke mingled with the moans of satisfaction in the air. 

What followed wasn’t glamorous, it wasn’t classy, and it wasn’t really that sexy either. It was simple, primal, and inevitable. Alex pounded into Jodi like his life depended on it, and in that moment, he really felt like it did. Jodi gripped his shoulder with one hand and the edge of the table with the other, trying to get some decent purchase, though she kept shifting backwards. Alex threw one of her legs over his shoulder so he could reach even deeper inside her, and he soon found himself nearing his climax. He could tell Jodi wasn’t, but he didn’t care. All he cared about in that moment was that he was actually fucking Jodi Fletcher from Girl Insensitive. Before he could form any kind of sentence, he came with a loud groan, and collapsed on top of Jodi. He pulled out of her and found Jodi’s hand between her legs, massaging her clit and pumping a couple of fingers in and out. It was the sexiest thing Alex had ever seen. He didn’t care that he hadn’t done it himself, all he could think about was the woman lying on his kitchen table, wanking in a post-coital haze. 

Alex couldn’t quite believe his eyes, but then again he could. He wouldn’t be at all surprised if Jodi suddenly pulled a vibrator from somewhere. Much to his dismay, she didn’t. Instead, she came with a moan, and pulled her knickers back on. She left the room quickly and returned wearing Alex’s discarded t-shirt. He’d never found anything so attractive in his entire life. 

She put the kettle on and sat down on one of Alex’s mismatched kitchen chairs. 

“This won’t happen again, Steven” Jodi said, as Alex finally pulled his underwear back on and sat down opposite her. 

“Well that is a shame” he replied, quickly getting up again to make the tea. They drank their tea in relative silence, both trying to work out what the fuck had just happened. 

The press would have a field day if they found out, Jodi reasoned. She didn’t want that. She was fairly sure Alex didn’t either, considering the pressure Blur were already under from them with their apparent battle with Oasis. 

She finished her tea and collected up her clothes that were scattered across the room. She redressed, keeping on Alex’s t-shirt. 

She made her way to the door without saying a word. 

“See you around, Steven” she shouted, catching Alex’s eye one more time before she left the flat. She hailed a cab and sped off into the night, whilst Alex just sat at his kitchen table, unable to think about anything other than Jodi. 


	3. "I'm not shagging Brett Anderson"

"No, I’m not shagging Brett Anderson” Tess said as the interviewer turned off the dictaphone recording their conversation. It was the truth, for once. Tess had to tell lots of fibs to interviewers, much to her dismay, but this was actually the truth. She almost wished it wasn’t though. 

“Isn’t ‘Head Over Heels’ about him though?” The interviewer probed. 

“‘Head Over Heels’ is a concept, more than anything, and anyway I thought you were done interviewing me?” Tess replied, trying to make it obvious she had places to go and people to see. 

She managed to escape, and a few days later she saw herself on the front cover of the NME. 

_ Girl Insensitive’s Tess on music, life, and Brett Anderson _

She didn’t want to read the interview, lest she see how her words had been twisted. She certainly hadn’t talked about Brett voluntarily. Why would she? She’d only spoken about anything in relationship to him when the interviewer had assumed and probed. She was certain Brett wouldn’t see it, so it didn’t matter anyway. 

And as the universe is want to do, nothing quite went according to Tess’ plan. The minute she got home, Brett was on the blower.

“I hear you’ve been talking about me, Hendricks”

“Oh for fuck’s sake Brett, who showed you?” Tess replied, horrified. 

“I walked past a newsagents, Tess, not hard to miss that blonde mop of yours”

Tess sighed as she heard Brett laugh at his own joke. 

“Well you’re not offended are you, Brett?” Tess asked, worried what he’d think of her.

“Why would I be offended Tess?” Brett replied, “It’s the truth, as far as I’m aware”

They said goodbye and hung up the phone. Tess sat back on the sofa and sighed. Brett was right, it was the truth. She wasn’t shagging him, nor had she. It wasn’t that she hadn’t had the desire to, but the situation had never arisen, so to speak. 

But, of course, the universe listens to these things, and it makes things happen. The universe knew that Tess wanted to shag Brett, and the universe decided, just this once, to not be a dickhead. In Tess’ life, she found that the universe was a dickhead more than it wasn’t. The universe made her dad leave, the universe made her last 7 boyfriends break up with her, two of them on valentine’s day (not the same one, the writer hastens to add). Tess Hendricks wondered what the universe had in store for her, and wondered if it was going to let her have what she wanted, just this once. And for once, it was benevolent, and let Tess have what she wanted, and it was something Tess knew she’d be forever grateful for. 

**the following events occurred on 28th february 1995**

28th February 1995 was a day Tess Hendricks would remember for the rest of her life. She’d been sitting on her sofa with Brett, strumming away idly at a guitar. Brett was scribbling down lyrics or something on the back of an old envelope he found on the coffee table, and Tess realised something. She also decided to do something about it, so when he leant back, she leant forward. She kissed him quickly, almost nervously, but soon found her nerves had no foundations, when Brett grabbed the back of her head and pulled her back to him, and onto his lap. They stayed there for a while, slowly learning what the other liked and didn’t like. Tess liked her hair being pulled. Brett liked his lip being bitten. With almost every second another piece of Tess’ clothing was removed. 

Before either of them quite realised what they were doing, Tess was wearing just her bra, and her hands were woven into Brett’s hair, as he kissed his way up her inner thigh. As his mouth connected with her core, Tess realised she might very well be in heaven. They stayed there for a while, Brett edging Tess closer and closer to orgasm, before pulling away again. He was good at this, and boy did he know it. Eventually, as she came down from her high, Tess decided she didn’t want her first shag with Brett to be on her slightly grim sofa, and she dragged him upstairs. She nipped to the bathroom quickly, and reappeared wearing rose coloured silk knickers, and nothing else. When she walked back into the room, Brett was sure she was an angel. Brett peeled it from her body slowly, wanting to save every second that more of her creamy flesh was exposed. When it came to Tess, Brett never wanted to stop looking. Once the knickers hit the floor, the slowness hit it with him, and everything was frantic, messy, and full of heat. 

Tess fucked Brett to within an inch of their lives. She sat astride him, slowly lowering herself down onto him, every inch stretching her. She rode her way to orgasm, reaching her third high of the evening as Brett reached his.

They lay on the bed, naked and sweaty but more affectionate for each other than they’d ever been for anyone else. Tess realised, as she lay there, her breathing returning to normal, that she wanted to do that with Brett for the rest of her life. It didn’t scare her, it didn’t frighten her. Tess thought she’d found the person she wanted to spend her life with and it excited her, more than anything else. 

Brett was feeling the same thing. He’d give up all the fame and fortune and fans and tours if it meant Tess would stay with him forever. He realised these were strong feelings to have at this early stage in their relationship, but he didn’t care. He’d found the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and he was damn sure he wasn’t going to fuck it up. He’d thought it was Justine, all those years ago, but it wasn’t. Brett knew that Tess Hendricks, a mouthy blonde from Sunderland, was the woman he was meant to be with, and he was damn glad he’d found her.


	4. Tired of Keeping Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tess and Brett go public, to critical acclaim.

Tess breathed heavily as she took in the post-coital haze in the room, the smell of sex and sweat and cigarettes, smoke mixing with breath and moans and shouts. Her burgeoning relationship with Brett, still a press secret, was the best thing that had ever happened to her, she thought. She was happier than she’d ever been, even though Brett was a “southern pansy”, as her father would have said. She laid there, lazily draped over Brett’s chest, thinking about the long run for the pair of them. If it did go on for the rest of her life, though, she realised they’d have to tell people, and sooner than they would like. Being public figures, people were likely to find out, especially considering how close their bands were known to be. If they wanted to out the relationship on their own terms, they knew they had to do something quickly. An interview in NME would be too cringey:

  
  


_ Brett and Tess spill all about their relationship! Exclusive Interview with the latest Britpop romance! _

  
  


Tess tried not to be sick at the thought and tried to come up with a better idea. It seemed like just going somewhere, perhaps a gig, would be the best option. 

“Baby, I can hear you thinking” Brett said quietly after a while, in between cigarettes. 

“It’s nothing” Tess replied, before continuing, “Well, it’s not really nothing. How do we want people to find out about this? Because they will, Pet, there’s no hiding it”

Brett nodded and lit another couple of cigs, passing one to Tess. They laid there thinking for a while, looking like a scene out of Withnail and I. Tess stared at the peeling wallpaper of her bedroom and made a mental note to get someone, probably ‘Lanky Bastard’ Mat Osman, to fix it for her. They’d think of something, she reasoned to herself. They’d find a way to tell people without being overt and celeb-ish about it. 

When an up and coming band were gigging near Tess’ house in North London, it seemed like a good opportunity. A small gig, but there would be press there. They could go together, holding hands or something equally saccharine, and everyone would get the gist. 

Tess was strangely apprehensive about it when the night in question came. She sat on her bed in her underwear, thinking about all the things that could possibly go wrong. She lit a cigarette and poured herself a glass of corner-shop wine. It tasted revolting but the disgusting taste of it distracted her from her worries. Before she could ponder the bad any more, Brett had arrived and she hastily dressed in the prettiest dress she had. If she was going to be photographed as Brett’s girlfriend, she at least wanted to look nice. 

They walked hand-in-hand to the tube station, and tried to appear normal on the tube for a couple of stops, as normal as two super famous people travelling on public transport could look. 

As they neared the venue, they started getting recognised more and more. Walking hand in hand, they knew that the word of them being together was undoubtedly spreading like wildfire, from fan to fan, person to person, whispered, shouted, announced to a group:

_ “Oh my god Brett from Suede and Tess from Girl Insensitive are here and they’re holding hands!” _

As they reached the venue, and were ushered past the crowds formed outside, they knew there was no going back. There were wolf whistles from lads in the crowd, and then groans as their girlfriends elbowed them in the ribs. Girls fawned over Brett, and the lads, in their own special ‘British Lad On A Night Out’ way, fawned over Tess (more over her tits in the emerald green silk slip dress she was wearing, but Tess nonetheless). 

They lingered by the bar for the majority of the gig, signing autographs for nervous fans. Tess was so happy and feeling so good that she hugged every person that came up to them, much to Brett’s dismay. He just wanted a nice, quiet night out with his girlfriend, but he knew it was making Tess happy, greeting all the fans and supporting an up-and-coming band. Tess was much more of a people person than he was, so he stuck to signing autographs, drinking beer, and listening to the band. 

The gig finished and, somewhat unsurprisingly, Tess and Brett found themselves being ushered backstage. They met the band and took photos with them and signed autographs for them, but they didn’t linger too long. They’d done what they’d set out to do, and now they wanted to go home. 

Of course, being them, it would never be that simple. On their way home they were accosted by three very drunk girls that Tess knew very well, the other members of Girl Insensitive. Brett and Tess sighed at each other with a familiar exasperation, and shepherded the girls to Tess’ house, there they collapsed in a giggling heap on the sofa. Tess sighed, and left three pint glasses of water on the coffee table, before she retreated to bed where Brett was waiting for her. 

“Well we’ll just have to see if we’ve made the papers tomorrow” he said as Tess changed out of her dress, hanging it up carefully. She quickly put an old tshirt on and got into bed next to him. 

“Bet you a fiver we make the front page” She said as she curled up into his side. 

“You’re on” Brett replied. 

Much to Brett’s chagrin, he found himself handing Tess a five pound note the next morning, as the paper was delivered and there were their faces, staring back at them.

**_TESS AND BRETT - A ROCK ROMANCE FOR THE AGES_ **

It was a terrible headline, which was what irked Brett most of all. He could have done a lot better than that. In any case, Tess had won the bet and he was annoyed about that. He’d rather be on the front page for his music, but he supposed being there with his girlfriend wasn’t so bad. Before he could muse any more on fame, the other members of Girl Insensitive came around, and chaos descended on the Hendricks house once more. 


End file.
